Awakening your ikigai pillar 2
Starting small was the first pillar, and small steps to improvement is the essence of kaizen. Also in starting small we took care of the small things, the details. Kodawari is the high standard we have in what we love and do that takes care of the little things, because we love what we love.
Another pillar in our ikigai is releasing yourself. Releasing yourself to be you and accepting who you are. This is Wabi Sabi at its core. It’s finding perfection in the imperfections and knowing that you were fearfully and wonderfully made the way you are on purpose.
When I first started high school I spent a lot of time trying to fit in, trying to like what everyone else liked, and hang out doing what the crowd would do, good or bad. Not a very good time. I met a few kids who I noticed was always happy and nothing seemed to bother them. I wanted that. What I discovered was this: they didn’t care about anything but what they liked. And that was just to find the food and funny in everything. So I joined them and accepted that I liked to laugh and draw and be silly, instead of fighting, smoking, stealing, and running from police.
I released me from being like them, to accepting that I like the me that made me happy. The world became a weird and wonderful adventure from then on.